Netanyahu: Israel Will Do What It Takes to Defend Itself

Israel does not seek war with its neighbors but it will spare no effort to defend itself and its citizens if attacked, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Israel does not seek war with its neighbors but it will spare no effort to defend itself and its citizens if attacked, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.

Speaking ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, which included a scheduled security briefing by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, Netanyahu said he had “every faith in the IDF and the chief of staff.

“The IDF is the strongest military in the Middle East and that’s a good thing because we face many challenges.

“As I said to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [U.S. President Donald] Trump, we are the main element that is preventing radical Islam from overrunning the Middle East and threatening the entire world.”

Touching on the subject of the pending regulation of the Havat Gilad outpost in Samaria, a move pursued in the wake of the murder of outpost resident Rabbi Raziel Shevach last month, Netanyahu said granting Havat Gilad the necessary permits seeks to “facilitate normal life” there.

Also on Sunday, anti-Netanyahu slogans, including one reading “Death to Bibi,” were found scrawled in chalk in the heart of Tel Aviv.

Passersby in Rothschild Boulevard spotted the slogans on the pavement and alerted the police, while others contacted the Tel Aviv Municipality, asking it to send maintenance workers to remove the graffiti.

Communications Minister Ayoob Kara condemned the incident and urged an end to the incitement against the prime minister.

“The incitement against the prime minister must stop, right now!” he tweeted. “Don’t say the writing wasn’t on the wall because it is plastered over the sidewalks of Tel Aviv. This incitement must stop and the sooner the better.”